Florida Senate - 2023                                    SB 1300
       
       
        
       By Senator Burton
       
       
       
       
       
       12-01458A-23                                          20231300__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to animals working with law
    3         enforcement officers; amending s. 843.01, F.S.;
    4         prohibiting the knowing and willful resistance to,
    5         obstruction of, or opposition to a police canine or
    6         police horse under certain circumstances; providing
    7         criminal penalties; making technical changes; amending
    8         s. 843.19, F.S.; increasing criminal penalties for
    9         persons who actually and intentionally maliciously
   10         touch, strike, or cause bodily harm to a police
   11         canine, fire canine, SAR canine, or police horse;
   12         increasing criminal penalties for persons who
   13         intentionally or knowingly maliciously harass, tease,
   14         interfere with, or attempt to interfere with a police
   15         canine, fire canine, SAR canine, or police horse while
   16         the animal is in the performance of its duties;
   17         providing an effective date.
   18          
   19  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   20  
   21         Section 1. Section 843.01, Florida Statutes, is amended to
   22  read:
   23         843.01 Resisting officers, other persons, or police animals
   24  officer with violence to his or her person.—A person who Whoever
   25  knowingly and willfully resists, obstructs, or opposes any of
   26  the following officers, persons, or police animals by offering
   27  or doing violence to any such officers, persons, or animals
   28  commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in
   29  s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084:
   30         (1) An officer as defined in s. 943.10(1), (2), (3), (6),
   31  (7), (8), or (9).;
   32         (2) A member of the Florida Commission on Offender Review
   33  or any administrative aide or supervisor employed by the
   34  commission.;
   35         (3) A parole and probation supervisor.;
   36         (4) A county probation officer.;
   37         (5) Any personnel or representative of the Department of
   38  Law Enforcement.; or
   39         (6) Any other person legally authorized to execute process
   40  in the execution of legal process or in the lawful execution of
   41  any legal duty.
   42         (7) A police canine or police horse as those terms are
   43  defined in s. 843.19 working at the direction of or in tandem
   44  with an officer or a legally authorized person, by offering or
   45  doing violence to the person of such officer or legally
   46  authorized person, is guilty of a felony of the third degree,
   47  punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
   48         Section 2. Subsections (3) and (4) of section 843.19,
   49  Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
   50         843.19 Offenses against police canines, fire canines, SAR
   51  canines, or police horses.—
   52         (3) Any person who actually and intentionally maliciously
   53  touches, strikes, or causes bodily harm to a police canine, fire
   54  canine, SAR canine, or police horse commits a felony of the
   55  third misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in
   56  s. 775.082, or s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
   57         (4) Any person who intentionally or knowingly maliciously
   58  harasses, teases, interferes with, or attempts to interfere with
   59  a police canine, fire canine, SAR canine, or police horse while
   60  the animal is in the performance of its duties commits a
   61  misdemeanor of the first second degree, punishable as provided
   62  in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
   63         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023.